Tech

Brady Elliott- SIM Science & Engineering Fair, Gold Winner

   Brady Elliott is an 8th grader who has a passion for both science and soccer. Brady has been in the US’s DA Soccer program since he was 8, and has practiced on synthetic turf every day. For Brady’s 8th-grade science fair project, he decided to combine the two things he loved most, and chose to do his project on a solution to an issue he and his teammates had to deal with every year. Turn burns and blisters.

   For his science project, Brady chose a couple of different materials he believed would help reduce the heat player experience when playing on turf. Some of these materials were tin foil, engine heat shield material, and even Blusol Heat Sheild Inserts. To his amazing, Blusol Heat Sheild Inserts performed better than any of the other material Brady had experimented on. To read more about Brady’s testimonial, visit our blog post, How to Keep Your Kids Feet Safe From Turn Burn.

   After completing his science fair project, Brady wanted to present it to more people. Brady received 1st place at his middle school science fair, then 1st place at Snowline Joint Unified School District, Gold at the SIM Science & Engineering Fair (San Bernardino County), and also received The Broadcom Masters Award & the Lemelson Early Inventor Prize.

Brady’s mother stated:

“You’ll notice Brady is in his soccer uniform in the pictures because he refuses to miss practice, so he rushed to the awards assembly after practice just making it to the last award.”

   Brady’s passion for soccer and science paid off. We are so excited and happy for Brady and his accomplishment. We wish him the best as he moves on to the Stae of California’s Science and Engineering competition on April 29th.

How to Keep Your Kids Feet Safe From Turf Burn & Heat Blisters

As a parent, nothing is worse than seeing your child in pain. Every year, thousands of children playing sports are exposed to heat blisters, peeling skin, and other forms of turf burn. So how are we supposed to keep our kids feet safe from these types of injuries? You could use tin foil, engine heat shield material, or other DIY heat shields, but do they actually work? And are those really your best options?

One kid from Phelan, California was eager to find out. He decided to test out a couple of different materials, including our BluSol Heat Shield Inserts and sent in this testimonial.

“My name is Brady Elliott and I am an 8th Grader at Heritage School in Phelan, CA. I have been playing in the US Soccer Development Academy Program for Golden State FC Academy since I was 8 years old. My passion is not only soccer but math and science and this year I wanted to bring my love for soccer, math, and science and focus my science project on something that addresses the ongoing problem that the soccer athletes face daily. This problem is the dangerous temperatures synthetic turf can reach and its impact on players. With more fields turning to synthetic grass over a cooler natural grass, players are on fields that can reach up to 170 degrees, thus putting them at risk for burns, blisters, and more injuries. 

Unfortunately, I practice year round, 5 days a week, on synthetic turf. Especially during the summer months, my teammates and I have suffered blisters and other injuries related to the temperatures. As you know, with higher-level soccer, athletes pick a cleat that may be lighter, but with lighter cleats means little to protect the foot from heat.

I have spent over five months gathering research and conducting various tests on which material would reduce these dangerous temperatures produced by synthetic turf. For my science project, I bought a pair of your BluSol inserts and included them in the materials that were being tested.

I believe you will be happy with your product’s results and its success. While the amount of athletes playing on synthetic turf increases every day, the hazardous temperatures that the synthetic turf gives off will not change. One thing that can change is the use of a protective insole insert such as BluSol to protect us athletes. After seeing how BluSol held up in my science project, I know I will be purchasing some pairs to use in my own cleats in the future.”

Incredible right? What an amazing testimonial! At BluSol, we strive to keep your children’s feet safe from burns and blisters. If your child is suffering from blisters, burns, and peeling skin, try our heat shield inserts and see what a difference it can make in their comfort.

Heat Index Chart

 Synthetic turf surfaces have long been regarded as a lower maintenance alternative to natural turf. However, synthetic surfaces like natural turf have their shortcomings. In the spring of 2002 a Field Turf synthetic surface was installed on one half of Brigham Young University’s Football Practice Field. The other half of the installation is a sand-based natural turf field. Shortly after the Field Turf was installed football camps were started. The coaches noticed the surface of the synthetic turf was very hot. One of the coaches got blisters on the bottom of his feet through his tennis shoes. An investigation was launched to determine the range of the temperatures, the effect water for cooling of the surfaces, and how the temperatures compared to other surfaces. 

Download full study.

An article from insidelacrosse.com:

Burn your competition not your feet. Keep your players at peak performance with Blusol Heat Shield Insert.  Blusol is the ULTIMATE Solution for burning feet on turf and other hot surfaces!

Inside Lacrosse is proud to partner with Blusol and bring their Heat Shield inserts to the lacrosse world.

Blusol Heat Shield is an adhesive insert, that fits in any cleat or shoe. By using temperature regulating technology, Blusol reduces the amount of heat that is being transferred from the turf to the athlete’s feet. Blusol is The ULTIMATE solution for burning feet on turf and other hot surfaces.

• No more heat blisters
• Temperature Regulating Technology
• One Size Fits All
• Additional padding and comfort
• Shoe size is not altered
• Durability.  Will outlast your shoe
• Over 25-degree differential from surface to foot
• Even protects against cold harsh elements

Developed by Stanford athletics coach Rob Beccera, Rob was noticing his players complaining of foot pain and blisters while playing and training on turf fields.  Since there wasn’t any solution to this major problem, nor a product on the market , Rob decided to focus his attention on creating one. Rob has spent the last 8 years developing and testing the Blusol Heat Shield Insert, and it is now available!

Blusol was created to help every athlete win. There has long been a demand for a product like this, and it is finally here.